Have you ever been on a long drive? Maria and I frequently find ourselves on the M4 going south-east, linking with the A34 then on to the M27 - so boring but at times necessary.

One of the things I hate to do is stop for fuel. Do you know why? It’s because all of those lorries, caravans, and slow drivers that I have skillfully passed are all going to pass me while I am filling up! Now, that’s annoying. I wish someone would invent a way to fill up without having to stop.

But the truth is that unless you stop and refuel you’re not going to make it. You are going to stall and be stuck by the side of the road, and that’s even more annoying!

I am sure you, like me in the run up to Christmas, find there is so much to do, so many people to see and so many places to go. We all get very busy, and like the car journey, if we’re not careful we can begin to run out of fuel. We all need to learn what it is to STOP ... and to refuel ... physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Stopping to re-fuel is not necessarily ceasing all activity, but it is finding activities and people that fill you up and give you energy for life.

I have learned that to stop completely causes my busy life to come hammering at my door making demands. But to refuel gives me the energy to keep going.

How’s your journey at the moment? Are you going strong or are you running on empty? What do you need to do to refuel? What kind of activities fill you up and give you energy for life? Make sure you take time for those things.

Refuel ... think about it.